Ringo Game Winner Gives Miami Double-OT Win over WIU

MACOMB, Ill. – The Miami University men’s basketball team earned a dramatic, 76-73, victory over Western Illinois in double overtime on Saturday. Junior guard Darrian Ringo hit the game-winning three-pointer with 0.7 seconds left just moments after the Leathernecks had tied the score with a three-pointer of their own. The RedHawks improve to 5-3 on the season, while WIU falls to 5-2.

“(After Western Illinois hit the tying three) I didn’t want to call timeout, similar to the Wright State game,” said head coach Jack Owens. “The ball was in (Ringo’s) hands and I wanted him to make the decision. He made the right read, hit the shot and I’m proud of him.”

The Leathernecks had overcome a 10-point second half deficit to take a three-point lead late, but freshman guard Nike Sibande hit a three-pointer with 18 seconds left in regulation to tie the score at 57 and send the contest into overtime.

Senior forward Logan McLane led the RedHawk offense with 17 points and nine rebounds. Sibande was right behind him with 16 points. Including his game-winner, Ringo chipped in 11 points to go along with his six assist and four steals.

“We had several guys step up to make big plays, while Logan and Nike each had some big shots,” said Owens. “Guys did their job defensively and I’m just real proud of the entire team’s resilience.”

Freshman guard Jalen Adaway opened the contest with a layup, while freshman forward Dalonte Brown hit a pair of shots, but the Leathernecks opened up a 8-6 lead to begin the game. Ringo gave Miami the advantage with a three of his own. The lead changed four more times before a triple from redshirt junior guard Jake Wright made it 19-16 with 11:52 left in the first half.A triple from sophomore forward Bam Bowman and a dunk by Sibande increased the Miami lead to 30-23 at the 4:44 mark. Both teams went cold to end the first half, but a three-pointer by Sibande and a jumper by McLane ensured that the RedHawks would go into the locker room with a 35-31 lead.

McLane opened the second half with a dunk and a three-pointer to give Miami a nine-point advantage. The Leathernecks pulled to within four at 42-38 before a jumper from Wright got the ‘Hawks offense rolling again. A jumper by Bowman and a three-pointer from Adaway were part of a 9-3 run that gave MU its largest lead at 51-41 with 10:01 to go.

The RedHawks would only score one basket over the next nine minutes. The Leathernecks took advantage by going on a 13-2 run over that stretch to take a 54-53 lead. Wright hit a free throw with 54 seconds to tie the score, but Western Illinois’ Kobe Webster drained a three-pointer with 29 seconds to go that gave the Leathernecks a 57-54 lead. Undeterred, Miami took the ball down the court and Ringo found Sibande in the right corner for a three-point answer that tied the score at 57. Neither team could score in their final possession as the game went into overtime.

WIU built a 61-58 lead in the first overtime before a 25-foot three-pointer by freshman guard Isaiah Coleman-Lands knotted the score again. After a Leatherneck layup, a jumper by Rod Mills Jr. tied the score at 63 with 2:29 remaining. Western Illinois eventually regained the advantage at 66-64, but Adaway calmly hit two free throws with 17 seconds to go to tie score and force a second overtime.

After WIU scored first in double overtime, a free throw followed by a layup from McLane gave the RedHawks a 69-68 lead. Two free throws by Sibande made it 71-68 with 2:16 remaining. The Leathernecks hit a jumper to pull within one, but Ringo answered with a layup that made it 73-70 at the 1:20 mark. Both teams had a couple empty possessions before Dalan Ancrum hit the tying three-pointer with eight seconds to go. That set up Ringo to go the length of the court where he drained the winning three from the right side.

Miami shot 28-for-66 (42.4 percent) for the game, while holding Western Illinois to 28-for-67 (41.4 percent) shooting. The RedHawks held a 40-39 rebounding edge. The Leathernecks were led by Ancrum with 22 points.

Miami returns to action on Tuesday when it travels to Missouri for a 9 p.m. tip. That game will air nationally live on the SEC Network.